Plant traits controlling growth change in response to a drier climate

Author(s):Show less -

Rowland, Lucy ^[1] ; Oliveira, Rafael S. ^{[2, 3]} ; Bittencourt, Paulo R. L. ^{[1, 4]} ; Giles, Andre L. ^[4] ; Coughlin, Ingrid ^{[5, 6]} ; Costa, Patricia de Britto ^{[3, 7]} ; Domingues, Tomas ^[5] ; Ferreira, V, Leandro ; Vasconcelos, Steel S. ^[8] ; Junior, Joao A. S. ^[9] ; Oliveira, Alex A. R. ^[10] ; da Costa, Antonio C. L. ^{[11, 8]} ; Meir, Patrick ^{[10, 6]} ; Mencuccini, Maurizio ^{[12, 13]}

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Univ Exeter, Coll Life & Environm Sci, Exeter EX4 4RJ, Devon - England

^[2] Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Biol, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] UWA, Biol Sci, Crawle, WA 6009 - Australia

^[4] Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Programa Pos Grad Ecol, Inst Biol, POB 6109, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Biol, FFCLRP, BR-14040900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[6] Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Biol, Canberra, ACT 2601 - Australia

^[7] Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Programa Pos Grad Biol Vegetal, Inst Biol, POB 6109, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[8] EMBRAPA Amazonia Oriental, BR-66095903 Belem, PA - Brazil

^[9] Univ Fed, Inst Geosci, BR-66075110 Belem, Para - Brazil

^[10] Univ Edinburgh, Sch Geosci, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, Midlothian - Scotland

^[11] Ferreira, Leandro, V, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, BR-66040170 Belem, PA - Brazil

^[12] ICREA, Barcelona 08010 - Spain

^[13] CREAF, Campus UAB, Cerdanyola Del Valles 08193 - Spain

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: NEW PHYTOLOGIST; v. 229, n. 3 NOV 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Plant traits are increasingly being used to improve prediction of plant function, including plant demography. However, the capability of plant traits to predict demographic rates remains uncertain, particularly in the context of trees experiencing a changing climate. Here we present data combining 17 plant traits associated with plant structure, metabolism and hydraulic status, with measurements of long-term mean, maximum and relative growth rates for 176 trees from the world's longest running tropical forest drought experiment. We demonstrate that plant traits can predict mean annual tree growth rates with moderate explanatory power. However, only combinations of traits associated more directly with plant functional processes, rather than more commonly employed traits like wood density or leaf mass per area, yield the power to predict growth. Critically, we observe a shift from growth being controlled by traits related to carbon cycling (assimilation and respiration) in well-watered trees, to traits relating to plant hydraulic stress in drought-stressed trees. We also demonstrate that even with a very comprehensive set of plant traits and growth data on large numbers of tropical trees, considerable uncertainty remains in directly interpreting the mechanisms through which traits influence performance in tropical forests. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/52072-0 - Soil-plant-atmosphere interactions in a changing tropical landscape
• Grantee: Rafael Silva Oliveira
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Partnership for Technological Innovation - PITE